


When You're Home

by allfinehere



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: (which needs more love imo), Depression, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Intercrural Sex, M/M, Nightmares, Oblivious Finn, PTSD, but mostly a happy fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-03
Updated: 2016-05-03
Packaged: 2018-06-06 06:05:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6741910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allfinehere/pseuds/allfinehere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After life settles down a little, Poe and Finn can't quite get back to normal on their own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When You're Home

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this (with permission) because I saw [this amazing art](http://kaciart.tumblr.com/post/138365275968) by [kaciart](http://kaciart.tumblr.com) on tumblr and I needed there to be a fic for it. I did not quite do it justice, but there was an attempt!

The first thing Finn learned to recognize in binary was his own name.

“Hey,” Poe said, nudging Finn with his foot from the other side of the couch. “BB’s talking to you.”

“Huh?” Finn asked, looking up from his datapad. There were so many things to catch up on about life outside the First Order propaganda machine, and he felt a little like he was drowning in all the information he spent hours every day trying to parse through.

The small droid repeated a series of beeps and whistles, looking at Finn expectantly.

“Oh, sorry. Um, what’s he saying?” Finn asked, looking to Poe for guidance.

Poe grinned. “That’s your name that he keeps repeating.

Finn’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “Why’s it so long?” He asked, setting his datapad aside and leaning towards BB-8, resting his forearms arms on his thighs.

“Oh, he gives designations to everyone along with their names. I never told him to do that, but I think he just likes organizing.” Poe looked around his room, which was definitely less than organized. Clean clothes spilled out of a basket on the floor, his bed was unmade, and X-wing and droid parts and tools littered every available surface. “Actually, maybe that _is_ my fault,” he laughed. “Anyway, he calls you Friend-Finn. He calls me Partner-Poe and he calls Rey Protector-Rey. Pretty cute, right?”

BB-8 made a disgruntled noise, apparently objecting to being called cute.

“I can’t help it! You are!” Poe protested, throwing his hands in the air in mock exasperation. BB-8 replied by making a rather rude sound, which caused Poe to raise his eyebrows. “Who taught you _that_?” he demanded. “It was Artoo, wasn’t it?”

BB-8 rocked back and forth and tilted his head to the side, emitting an innocent sounding whistle.

Finn laughed. “Yeah, alright. Friend-Finn. I like that.” After a beat of silence, he asked, “Do you think I’m ever going to pick it up? I want to understand him since he talks to me all the time, but the only language I’ve ever known until now was Basic. I’m...um, I’m not sure I’m even capable of learning anything else.” He looked away, fiddling with his datapad.

Poe’s expression softened. “Yeah, buddy, ‘course you will. It just takes a little time. I can send you some things to read that might help a little,” he added, grabbing his datapad and already searching for the appropriate files.

Great, more things to read. Still, Finn wanted to learn and fit in in his new home, so he smiled at Poe and said, “Yeah, I’d like that.”

*                                 *                                 *

Since Finn still hadn’t been declared fit to work after his injury, all he had to fill his days were PT sessions. He went in the morning, then had stretching exercises to do on his own in the evening. The sessions were difficult and often disheartening, but each one was a reminder that he was in a better place. The Resistance cared enough to save his life and help him recover. In the First Order, they wouldn’t have thought twice about disposing of a trooper in Finn’s condition. They had killed troopers for far less; it was more efficient to replace them than to use the resources to diagnose and treat them.

At first he had tried to sneakily help out wherever he could, but his doctor had caught on quickly and warned the heads of the departments not to let him work until she gave permission for him to do so. After that he took to following Rey and Poe around, or sometimes Jessika and Snap when they weren’t too busy. If he couldn’t work, he could at least learn.

He was picking up on binary more quickly than he thought he would, which was encouraging. He could have stilted conversations with BB-8 now, turning to Rey or Poe to translate the things he couldn’t understand. BB-8 seemed to have appointed himself as Finn’s guardian when he wasn’t flying with Poe. Finn had felt badly about sort of stealing Poe’s droid from him, but Poe had just laughed and said, “Have you ever tried telling him what to do? As long as he’s here when I need to fly, it’s all good.”

*                                 *                                 *

After a particularly grueling PT session, Finn was in less than a good mood. He stood under the stream of water in the ‘fresher, letting the hot water beat against his aching back. Showers with real water were still a novelty to him after having spent his life using sonic showers. There had been rumors that the higher-ups had showers with hot water, but Finn had never actually believed that was a real thing until he arrived at the Resistance. D’Qar had lots of large lakes so apparently setting up showers had been easy, and the water they used was just cleaned and recycled so they planet wasn’t adversely affected. Sonic showers were still available for use, but Finn much preferred water.

He was in his own room, but it felt kind of strange here now. It seemed empty and lifeless, with no character. Finn didn’t really have any possessions of his own, and being here made him miss the chaotic clutter of Poe’s room.

Finn didn’t really spend much time in his own room these days. When he’d recovered enough to leave the medbay, he had tried spending time alone. After a lifetime of always being around other people, though, he couldn’t get used to it and sought out Poe’s company, who was happy to let Finn hang out in his room when they had down time. It started out as short hangouts where they would talk or play games or read in comfortable silence, and then one night Finn fell asleep on the couch while trying to get through a dense text about the history of the New Republic and the Rebellion.

He had awoken confused and disoriented, but Poe had just casually said, “You can use the extra bed next time if you want,” and that was that. From then on Finn started sleeping in Poe’s quarters, finding the sound of Poe’s breathing and BB-8’s quiet whirring calming and reassuring. It was much better than sleeping in the stark quiet of his own room, and since Poe didn’t seem to mind he just kept doing it. Finn wasn’t quite sure if this was normal practice for people in the Resistance or even just outside of the First Order, but he was too embarrassed to ask and he was happy with the situation, anyway.

Today, though, Finn sought out the solitary quiet of his room. The water was almost too hot, but he welcomed the distraction from his aching muscles. After his PT session he had felt suddenly very alone in a base full of people who had a purpose. Finn had never not had a purpose before, and now he felt directionless. He was an excellent soldier, but his body was all but worthless right now and he had never really trained to do much else. Tears pricked at his eyes, but he was not about to cry about something as stupid as having free time. Clenching his fists, he willed himself to go back to normal. This was fine. Everything was fine. He’d get used to it soon.

But another part of him wondered, what if he didn’t? What if he had been so thoroughly programmed by the First Order that he couldn’t make himself change? Finn had a few friends, mostly thanks to Poe, but he was well aware that many people didn’t trust him despite the General’s endorsement. He pretended not to notice the distrusting looks he received in the halls or at the cantina, but they were starting to wear on him. Maybe it would be for the best if he left and went somewhere where no one knew him, like he was going to do back on Maz’s planet. Rey was safe now. He’d seen that through, and maybe now it was time to go. Poe would probably be a little sad at first, but he was so busy and had so many friends that he’d get over it quickly enough.

A loud bang and a shrill whistle startled Finn out of his dark thoughts. He could hear BB-8 repeating his name, but his frantic pace made it impossible for Finn to make out anything else. He shut off the water and stepped out, grabbing a towel and slinging it around his waist.

“Slow down!” he snapped at the little droid, who rolled back slightly with a beep of surprise. “Sorry,” he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “I just can’t understand when you’re going that fast.”

BB-8 slowly repeated his message, then waited for Finn to respond. He rocked back and forth in small movements, giving off the impression of nervous anticipation.

Finn frowned, translating the message in his head. “You’re asking if I’m okay?”

The droid beeped an affirmative and continued rocking, waiting for a reply.

“Yeah,” Finn sighed. “I’m fine, nothing to worry about,” he added with a weak smile.

BB-8 promptly gave him a look indicating that he didn’t believe a word of it, then whistled another message.

“I...half an hour? No I wasn’t,” Finn replied, looking confused. “I just got in there after PT, which was at - oh,” he said, looking at his chrono. The droid was right; he’d been in the shower for a good half an hour and hadn’t even realized it. Maybe he was losing his mind.

“It’s okay, I’m fine,” he repeated. “Just lost track of time is all. I never had showers with water until now. I don’t expect you to understand, ‘cause you’re a droid, but showers with water are _way_ better than sonic showers,” he tried to joke, hoping BB-8 would accept the answer.

The small droid tilted his head to the side, considering Finn’s answer. Then he beeped cheerfully and bumped gently into Finn’s leg, which Finn had decided was some sort of show of affection. “Thanks for checking in, buddy,” he said, reaching for his clothes. “I think - wait a minute, how did you even get in here?”

Tilting his head a little and turning it to the side, BB-8 rocked back and forth and did the droid equivalent of mumbling something.

“You broke in? Am I hearing that right?” Finn asked. At least the droid had the decency to look abashed.

“Eh, it’s okay. I know you were worried,” he said. “I’m just gonna rest for a little while and then I’ll see you later at lunch, okay?”

BB-8 whistled an affirmative, bumped against his legs one more time, then exited the room. Finn sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed. He felt bad for lying to the little droid, but he didn’t want him to worry and then go pull Poe or Rey away from whatever they were doing just because Finn was having a pity party.

Pulling on his clothes, Finn wandered around his small room for a second before laying down on the bed. Maybe he _should_ rest for a little while, and then he could have a fresh start to the day.

*                                 *                                 *

He awoke to an insistent knocking on his door. “Finn?” came the muffled voice from outside.

Finn rubbed his eyes and grabbed for his chrono. The time it displayed couldn’t be right - it would mean he’d slept through lunch and the time he normally spent in the hangar while the pilots worked on their ships.

Standing stiffly, he stretched a little and went to answer the door. It hissed open to reveal Poe’s worried face.

“Hey, what happened? We missed you at lunch,” Poe asked, stepping into the room and letting the door slide closed behind him.

“Oh, um. I fell asleep, I guess?” Finn answered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Poe looked at him closely. “Are you sure that’s all? ‘Cause BB-8 said you were acting sort of weird earlier but you promised you’d come to lunch.”

Finn sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, where Poe joined him. “It’s nothing, really,” he began. Finn was not a good liar. It had been fine (though guilt-inspiring) to lie to a droid, but lying to Poe was a different matter.

“Hey,” Poe said quietly, nudging Finn’s shoulder with his own. “You can tell me, buddy. I want to help.”

Finn looked at him then, and Poe was earnest in his offer. It was written all over his face, and Finn should have known better than to expect anything else. He looked away, focusing on his clasped hands. “It’s just...things are so different here,” he began haltingly.

“Yeah, I bet,” Poe replied. “I thought it was going okay, though?”

“It was, I guess,” Finn replied, not really knowing how to explain. If this had happened in the Order and someone were to notice, he would have been sent for reconditioning. He’d always hid his feelings about anything and everything, and now that someone was willing to listen he didn’t know what to say.

He sighed, then started again. “I guess I just thought things would keep getting easier, and they mostly have, but then PT this morning was really hard and then I was in the shower a long time but I didn’t know it and then I fell asleep,” he blurted out, then fell silent.

Poe reached out, hesitated, then slid his arm around Finn’s shoulders in a sort of sideways hug. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I should’ve checked in sooner. I didn’t realize you were having trouble.”

Finn stiffened at the touch, then relaxed into it. “Don’t blame yourself, Poe. It’s not your job to...to take care of me.”

Poe looked at him with surprise. “I’m your friend, Finn. Of course it’s my job to look out for you. And not just because you’re new here. I look out for all my friends, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Finn replied, thoughts of running away beginning to fade. “If you’re sure.”

“‘Course I’m sure,” Poe replied. “How about we do this: I’ll check in with you every day to see how things are going, and you gotta tell me honestly. Okay?”

“Okay,” Finn said with a small smile. “I can do that.”

“Good,” Poe replied, squeezing his shoulders before removing his arm. “Missed you in the hangar today. Jess and Snap are fighting about Snap’s new girlfriend - Jess doesn’t think she’s good enough for him. Ironically, Jess seems to have a lot higher standards for everyone else than she does for herself. So anyway…”

As Poe continued to fill him in on the day’s events so far, Finn relaxed and felt more at peace. He could do this. Things would be alright.

*                                 *                                 *

As the weeks went by, Finn grew more accustomed to life in the Resistance. Thanks to dedicated studying and practice, he could understand almost everything BB-8 said to him now, and the little droid seemed quite pleased. One day he took Finn around to the other droids, and Finn suspected that BB-8 was showing him off. It also sounded like BB-8 was taking credit for teaching Finn everything he knew about binary, which just made him laugh.

Finn had been released from the working ban that Dr. Kamaria had placed on him and started learning how to be a technician with the pilots so he could be of more use to Poe and his friends in Black Squadron. It also made the most sense since Finn spent most of his time with them, anyway. It was challenging, but Finn enjoyed learning something that wasn’t based on how to most efficiently kill someone.

Poe was also teaching him to fly using the simulators, which was a good call because Finn was definitely not a natural-born pilot. Poe had told him a little about flying with his mom when he was a kid, but Finn suspected that Poe didn’t talk about his childhood much in deference to Finn, who didn’t have a childhood and who didn’t remember his parents. Finn was at peace with that now, though. He had found a new family in the Resistance. As far as flying went, though, he preferred the sims where they flew a two-person fighter and Finn could be the gunner, like the first time they had met.

After a particularly successful sim run, Finn and Poe were in high spirits as they headed back to Poe’s room, BB-8 trailing behind and interjecting his own comments about the run.

“I’ll have to double check, but I think we might have set a record on that one,” Poe said excitedly as they entered the room. He flopped on the couch and grinned at Finn, but the grin faded and he suddenly looked serious as he sat up.

“What?” Finn asked worriedly. “Did we forget to do something?”

“No, no, it’s not that,” Poe said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, I was thinking, I mean I’ve been meaning to bring it up, but. Well.”

Finn sat down on the couch next to him, looking worried and wondering if he’d done something wrong, something that was bothering Poe.

“Well,” Poe continued. “So the thing is, most of your stuff is here. And you spend most of your time here, so-”

“You want me to go back to my own room,” Finn interrupted, sounding sad and defeated and looking a little like a kicked puppy.

“No!” Poe exclaimed, eyebrows raised. “The opposite! I was just wondering if you’d rather stay here with me, all the time. Since you pretty much do anyway,” he grinned. “You could just bring the rest of your things here.”

A matching grin spread across Finn’s face. “Yeah! Yeah, I’d like that. And, um. All my things are already here, actually,” he added sheepishly.

Poe laughed and pulled Finn into a hug, clapping him on the back before releasing him. “Great! So it’s settled then.

Finn felt his cheeks heat and was glad the flush wasn’t really visible with his skin tone. Poe was physically affectionate with everyone and had hugged Finn before, but suddenly Finn was reacting differently to it. This time it had made him blush and made his stomach feel fluttery. He had the sense he shouldn’t tell Poe until he figured out what was going on. He’d have to discuss it with Rey; maybe she would know.

*                                 *                                 *

Rey didn’t know.  
“Maybe you’re ill?” she suggested as she tinkered with an old looking droid part.

Finn shook his head. “I don’t think so. It just happened when Poe hugged me. It made me feel...warm? But inside? It was nice,” he explained, feeling a little embarrassed.

Rey shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said as she yanked out a wire. “Maybe,” she added as she paused in her work, looking thoughtful, “maybe we should ask Jessika. She seems like she knows about that sort of thing.

Finn looked uncomfortable. “I dunno, I don’t really want to involve more people in this. What if it’s weird?”

Rey put down the part and stood. “Suit yourself. Do you want to come train with me? Luke said I could bring someone if I wanted. I think he just gets tired sparring with me,” she grinned.

“Yeah! That could be fun. Just don’t kick my butt, okay?”

“I’m not making any promises,” she replied, then they headed off to find the Jedi.

                                    *                                 *                                 *  
  
Apparently officially moving into Poe’s room caused Poe to become increasingly physically affectionate with Finn. There were more casual touches here and there, and Poe would do things like tuck his feet under Finn’s thigh while they were sitting on the couch working on their own things or watching holovids. Finn just accepted this all as a natural progression of becoming roommates, and he enjoyed having more contact with Poe. The warm feelings did not go away. They increased, actually, and Finn found himself seeking out Poe’s affection, which the pilot seemed happy to give.

This wasn’t how things were before, though. Both were good, but Finn was becoming increasingly confused. After a few weeks of this, he finally gave in and went looking for Jessika. Rey was probably right, as usual, and he needed to seek expert advice.

As it turned out, said expert advice was not as sage and wise as Finn thought it would be.

“Oh my god,” she laughed, practically doubling over. “You really don’t know what’s going on?”

Finn frowned. “I didn’t think it was that funny,” he stated.

“Sorry, sorry,” she said, putting a hand on her X-wing for support. “It’s not you, really. You don’t have any experience with this - I assume, anyway.”

“No, we weren’t allowed to fraternize in the - before,” he amended. He had found that people got uncomfortable when he mentioned the First Order in such a familiar way.

“Aw baby, you should’ve come to me sooner. All this time, wasted!” she said, gesturing wildly with her hydrospanner. “It’s okay, though. Most men are idiots about this.”

Finn wasn’t sure if he should be offended or not, but decided probably not. After all, she had called all men idiots, not him in particular. “What do you mean ‘all this time’?”

Jessika raised her eyebrows in disbelief. “Fine, if he won’t say it, I will. Poe likes you, Finn. A lot.”

Finn’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Well, yeah. We’re friends. I like him too.”

Sighing in exasperation, Jessika replied, “No, Finn. He _likes_ you.”

“Ye-es,” Finn replied slowly. “And I _like_ him too. Isn’t that what I just said?”

“My god,” Jessika replied, shaking her head. “He likes you romantically, Finn. As in he wants to go on dates with you and hold your hand and kiss you. And knowing him, a lot of other things too. And you obviously feel the same way.”

Finn stared at her in silence, trying to process what he had just heard.

“He asked you to move in with him. And you did it!” she exclaimed. “I really would have thought that would have been a clue.”

“I thought...I mean, it just made sense since I spent most of my time there anyway,” Finn replied, still looking a little lost.

Jessika rolled her eyes. “BB-8 even changed his designation for you since you moved in with Poe. Didn’t you notice?”

“No,” Finn replied in surprise. “What is it?”

Jessika smiled mischievously. “I think you should go ask Poe.”

“But you already know, so why can’t you just tell me?” Finn retorted.

“Just ask Poe. It’s about time you two talked about this,” she said, then turned back to the work she was doing on her X-wing’s engine, signalling the end of the conversation.

*                                 *                                 *

“Hey Poe?” Finn called, looking around Poe’s X-wing for the pilot.

“Yeah?” came the reply as Poe’s head popped out of the cockpit. Grease was streaked across his cheek and a few curls fell over his forehead into his eyes. It made Finn’s stomach do the fluttery thing, which was starting to make a lot more sense now that he’d talked to Jessika. “What’s up?”

“So, Jessika told me BB-8 changed his designation for me. What is it? Did I do something to him that he’s mad about?” Finn asked. Jessika didn’t make it sound like the change had been bad, but now Finn was a little worried.

“Oh, uh. She told you about that, did she?” Poe said, sounding uncomfortable and fidgeting with the plasma welder he held.

“You knew?” Finn asked in surprise. “How come everyone else knew and I didn’t pick up on it?”

“Well, you’re still learning and it doesn’t sound a whole lot different,” Poe explained.

“Okay, so what is it?” Finn demanded.

Poe’s cheeks flushed and he looked away. “Um. He calls you Poe-Partner-Finn now,” he mumbled.

“Even _BB-8_ knew about this before I did?” Finn exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

“Know about...what, exactly?” Poe asked carefully.

“That you like me and I like you and not just as friends!” he replied, pacing back and forth next to the ship. “Does _everyone_ know about this except me?”

“Hang on, you - you feel the same way?” Poe asked, looking hopeful.

“Yeah, but Jessika had to tell me because I didn’t figure it out on my own,” Finn replied in exasperation. Suddenly catching sight of the time, he added, “And now I have to go meet Rey for training. So - so I’m just gonna go do that,” he said decisively, then turned and quickly exited the hangar.

Poe watched him go, feeling a little like he’d just been steamrolled. Lost in thought, he didn’t notice Jessika’s approach.

“Looks like your boy’s a little wound up,” she commented with a smirk. “You could probably help out with that, though.”

“He’s not my - well, maybe he is, I don’t know - what did you do to him?” Poe spluttered as he hopped out of the cockpit.

“Helped you two idiots out is what I did,” she replied, hands on her hips. “You were both just going to dance around each other for the rest of eternity and I couldn’t stand to watch it anymore. You’re welcome.”

Poe gestured toward the hangar exit agitatedly. “But look what just happened!”

“Just give him a little time, he’ll come around. To be fair, I honestly didn’t know that he had no idea about his feelings for you,” she said, having the decency to look a little sheepish. “But I don’t regret doing it,” she added for clarity.

Poe ran a hand through his already messy hair and sighed. “I guess you do have a point. I just - I dunno, I didn’t want to scare him off. And,” he hesitated, chewing his lower lip, “do you think maybe - what if I’m too old for him?”

“Dameron. Seriously? You guys are great together. Disgustingly cute. So quit worrying, okay?” she said, a little more gently.

“Yeah. Okay. I’ll talk to him after his training with Rey,” he agreed.

“No need to thank me, but if you wanted to I wouldn’t say no to a drink or five,” Jessika replied with a grin.

Poe laughed. “You got it.”

*                                 *                                 *

The door to their room slid open with a hiss and Poe jumped in surprise, accidentally knocking several parts off of the desk. “Finn!” he blurted, a little too loudly.

“Um, hi,” Finn replied with a small smile. He peeled off his sweat-soaked t-shirt and put it in the laundry bin, as he always did after his training with Rey. Next he’d go shower, and then they would usually go get dinner. Everything felt different now, though. Usually Poe avoiding looking at Finn after he’d taken off his shirt so as not to give himself away, but this time his gaze lingered. Life in the Resistance hadn’t softened Finn at all; even after he’d lost some muscle mass after his injury, he’d quickly gained it back with rigorous training.

Dragging his gaze back up to Finn’s face, he said, “So. We should probably talk, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Finn agreed. “But - can I shower first?”

Poe’s face reddened. Thinking about Finn in the shower was really not what he needed to be doing right now. “Right! Yeah, of course. We’ll talk after.”

Finn showered quickly while Poe got absolutely nothing done aside from fiddling absently with the parts he’d picked up off the floor and definitely not thinking about Finn in the shower.

Hearing Finn come back into the room, Poe said, “So I was thinking that - uh…” The words died on his lips at the sight of Finn with a towel slung low around his waist. This was ridiculous. He’d seen Finn like that a million times before, but now that the promise of possibility was in the air Poe seemed to lose all ability to function properly. It was true that he was generally an outrageous flirt, but that was easy because it never really meant anything. It was easy when it was just in fun, but now that it meant something every clever thing he’d ever said vacated his mind in one fell swoop.

“Never mind, you can get dressed first,” Poe said, quickly looking down at the partially assembled whatever-he-was-making.

Finn laughed and crossed the room, putting his hands on Poe’s shoulders. “Poe. It’s okay. I talked to Rey and had some time to think, and I’m good now. You, though,” he grinned. “I’ve never seen you like this. It’s pretty funny.”

Poe grinned back in relief. “Well, I can’t be smooth one hundred percent of the time. Gotta recharge and all that,” he joked, then became more serious. “I just want to be sure that this isn’t...that I’m not going to take advantage of you,” he said quietly.

Instead of responding, Finn leaned in and pressed his lips gently to Poe’s in a chaste kiss, then leaned his forehead against Poe’s. “It’s true that I haven’t done this before, but I’m an adult. I can figure out what’s good for me and what’s not.”

Poe was still in slight shock from the kiss, however simple it was. “Yeah, I’m. Um. Glad to hear it,” he said with a smile that made the corners of his eyes crinkle.

Finn pulled away and leaned against the desk next to Poe. “So, the kiss. Was that okay?” he asked, a little embarrassed. “I haven’t done that before. I just...really wanted to.”

“Absolutely,” Poe agreed, perhaps a little too fervently. “And I’d be happy to teach you more,” he added with a smirk.

“Yeah, that’d be good,” Finn smiled. “Maybe you can teach me some other things, too,” he added with a wink. Crossing his arms over his chest, he added, “Not surprised you couldn’t resist this, anyway,” with an air of confidence and bravado.

Poe laughed and bumped shoulders with him. “C’mon, get some clothes on so we can go eat.”  
“You sure that’s what you want?” Finn asked teasingly, sashaying his way towards the bedroom.

“You know, you are surprisingly good at this for someone who claims to have no experience! Were you you taking lessons from Jess instead of training with Rey?” Poe called after him.

Finn’s only reply was a laugh.

*                                 *                                 *

The evolution from friendship into relationship was natural, and it seemed like not much changed except that they were more physically affectionate with each other, though they kept that to a minimum in public out of deference to their friends. Jessika was unbearably smug about it for several days until the night Poe bought her those five drinks and she drunkenly admitted she had a crush on Rey. Poe and Finn had promised not to tell in exchange for the cessation of Jess’s smug looks. She had gratefully agreed. Finn, however, secretly planned on feeling out the situation with Rey because he liked the thought of them together and Rey deserved to have someone too after being so lonely for so long.

*                                 *                                 *

Finn awoke in the middle of the night to incessant beeping and whistling. He rolled over and threw out his hand as if to hit his alarm but hit BB-8 instead, who made a noise of protest. “Wha?” he mumbled, still half-asleep. “BB-8? Wha’s goin’ on?”

The droid beeped impatiently and extended his pincer arm to grab Finn’s t-shirt and pull.

“Alright,” he said as he sat up. “I’m up, I’m up.” BB-8 continued to pull until Finn stood, and only then did he retract the arm. As far as he could tell, the little droid was babbling something about danger/worry/help. Frowning, Finn followed him out into the other room.

Poe was seated in the middle of the floor, looking haggard. He had one leg drawn up to his chest with one arm resting on his knee. His head was slightly bowed and he seemed to be staring blankly ahead of him.

Finn had never seen Poe like this, and it scared him. Poe was always happy and upbeat; Finne realized with some guilt that he’d never considered that Poe might struggle with things like FInn had when he’d first gotten to the base. Finn crossed the space between them and sat down next to Poe, putting an arm around his shoulders and pulling him close. Poe curled into him, taking a shaky breath. Finn kissed his forehead and murmured, “What’s going on?”

Poe was silent for a while, and Finn waited patiently. When Poe spoke, his voice was rough, as if he’d been crying.

“It’s - nightmares sometimes. From when I was on board the _Finalizer_. When Kylo Ren went into my head and just - ripped out the information he wanted. Saw things he had no right to.” He took another shuddering breath.

“It’s okay now,” Finn said quietly, threading the fingers of his free hand through Poe’s. “You’re back with the Resistance. I wish I could’ve gotten to you before he did that.”

Poe smiled weakly. “I’m just glad you got to me at all.”

“Well, I couldn’t let the Resistance’s best pilot stay locked up, now could I?” Finn smiled, purposefully ignoring the fact that they both knew Poe had been slated for execution since Kylo Ren had gotten the information he wanted.

Finn felt somewhat out of his depth here. Poe had helped him when he was feeling bad, but Finn didn’t have the same experience. Any trooper having nightmares would hide it as best as they could, but if they were found out they’d be sent to reconditioning. Nightmares were a sign of mental weakness. Finn couldn’t possibly think that about Poe, though, and knew it was yet another thing about life in the First Order that had been abnormal.

Poe remained silent, clutching Finn’s had in his and regulating his breathing. Finn wished he was like Rey, then maybe he could sense exactly what was wrong and then he’d know exactly what to do to help. Instead he rubbed soothing circles over Poe’s back, giving him time to recover.

“What do you need?” Finn finally asked, his voice quiet in the stillness.

Poe looked at Finn consideringly, eyes red from crying, then slid a hand along Finn’s jaw line and pulled him into a kiss. “Just you,” he murmured against Finn’s lips. Poe kissed him again, long and slow and sweet.

After a bit, Finn pulled back a little. “Are you sure this is…” he hesitated, not knowing how to put it. “Shouldn’t we talk, or get some tea or something?” These seemed to Finn like more appropriate solutions for helping someone who’d been having nightmares.

Poe shook his head. “This is good. I want to feel something real. Helps ground me,” he insisted, capturing Finn’s lips in another kiss.

Finn was still hesitant. “I just...I don’t want to...take advantage of you?” he said awkwardly.

Poe chuckled, his voice still a little hoarse. “I appreciate it, buddy, but I’m okay and this is what I want. As long as you want it too,” he added.

Finn leaned in, resting his forehead against Poe’s. “I do,” he smiled, and then kissed Poe. This time it was with a little more intent, a little more urgency. “C’mon,” he said, standing and pulling Poe to his feet, and led them to his bed.

Poe laid down and pulled Finn on top of him, sliding his hands under Finn’s shirt and over his muscular back as they kissed. “You gotta stop working out so much, you’re showing me up,” he teased as he pulled Finn’s shirt off.

Finn laughed, and Poe decided then and there that he’d pay any amount of credits to see that smile and hear that laugh for the rest of his life. “You’re gorgeous,” he said softly, intent in his sincerity.

The compliment filled Finn’s heart, and he blushed and hid his face in the crook of Poe’s neck in embarrassment. “You’re gorgeous, too,” he mumbled. “Rugged and handsome, even,” he added, nipping at Poe’s collarbone.

Poe moaned quietly and turned his head to give Finn further access, which Finn took full advantage of. He worried the skin between his teeth and laved the red marks with his tongue, pressing gentle kisses over them afterward. Finn secretly loved the marks he put on Poe, and Poe never seemed to mind them. He suspected Poe liked them, too. The way he was canting his hips against Finn’s would indicate that he did, at any rate.

Finn slid down, rucking Poe’s shirt up and licked over one of Poe’s nipples before sucking on it gently. Poe groaned, his voice catching in his throat. The noises Poe made always went straight to Finn’s cock, and although they hadn’t done a lot yet Finn generally used every trick he knew of so far to get Poe to vocalize as much as he could.

Pulling Poe’s shirt over his head and tossing it on the floor, Finn smoothed his hands over the solid plane of Poe’s bare chest, savoring the sensation. He still couldn’t believe his luck that he’d gone from a program where he expected death every day to being in bed with truly wonderful man.

“Hey,” Poe said gently, bringing him back to the moment. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Finn grinned. “Just admiring the view.”

Poe laughed and pulled him in for a kiss, sliding his hand into Finn’s boxers. Finn groaned and shuddered at the touch, thrusting gently into Poe’s grip. “C’mon, get these off,” Poe encouraged, and Finn ungracefully shed the remainder of his clothes, then pulled off Poe’s as well. He settled back on top of Poe, aligning their hips and thrusting slowly. Poe moaned and closed his eyes, tilting his hips into the motion. “Get the -- the thing,” he murmured with a wave of his hand in the vague direction of the bedside table. Finn looked at him in confusion for a moment, then realized Poe meant the lube. He grinned and leaned over, rummaging around in the drawer til he found it.

“What do you want?” he murmured, placing teasing kisses on Poe’s neck and chest.

“Here,” Poe said, motioning for the lube. Finn handed it over, and Poe flipped the cap and squeezed some into his palm. Coating his inner thighs, he pressed them together, then tossed the bottle somewhere on the bed and laid back, raising an eyebrow at Finn.

Finn looked at him for a moment, then caught on to what Poe was suggesting. He hooked Poe’s legs over his shoulders - the man was surprisingly flexible - and pushed into the joining of Poe’s thighs. It was warm and wet and _so_ good. Finn was still fairly new to all this and had to take a moment to get control of himself - he wanted this to be good for Poe, too. He began thrusting at a slow, steady pace, angling so that he moved against Poe’s cock as well. He continued this for a bit, monitoring his performance by the look on Poe’s face.

“You’re a - _ah_ \- genius, buddy,” Poe said, a light sheen of sweat gathering at his brow. “Should’ve known you’d be a natural,” he added with a grin.

This was one of the things Finn loved about sex with Poe. It was easy, full of smiles and laughter. Finn’s covert research had led him to believe that sex was supposed to be very serious and -- well, sexy. Every encounter with Poe had been sexy, but in a fun sort of way. And when things didn’t go quite right it wasn’t too embarrassing; they just laughed it off and tried again later.

Finn grinned back at Poe, whose hands were restless on Finn’s body. He bit his lip as he increased his pace, trying to control himself so that Poe would come first. He loved watching the look on Poe’s face, and his little experience told him that if he came first he’d be too out of it to properly enjoy Poe’s orgasm.

“Are you close?” he asked, feeling slightly out of breath.

“Embarrassingly so, yeah,” Poe laughed shakily, gripping Finn’s arms tightly. He squeezed his thighs tighter around Finn, increasing the friction and pressure.

Finn groaned and dropped his head at the sensation, intent on making Poe orgasm first. To his amazement, he felt when Poe got impossibly harder against his own cock. Moments later Poe tilted his head back, eyes closed, mouth open, gorgeous with sweat-dampened curls falling over his forehead as he came. Oddly enough, he tended to be silent during orgasm despite making a lot of noise the rest of the time. Finn loved it.

He could feel Poe’s cock pulsing against his as he came, and a few thrusts later he followed Poe into orgasm, shuddering as he thrust gently through it. He collapsed next to Poe, half-on and half-off him, burying his face in Poe’s neck as he caught his breath.

“You’re a genius,” he said, pressing a kiss to Poe’s heated skin and tasting the salt there. “We should definitely do that again.”

Poe chuckled and stretched a little. “I really am, aren’t I? I suppose it merits another attempt…” he trailed off, teasing.

Finn poked him in the side, making him giggle. “Don’t pretend you didn’t just go off like a rocket,” he said, pushing up onto his forearm so he could look at Poe.

“All right, all right,” Poe relented, running the tips of his fingers through the ejaculate on his stomach and chest. Finn’s first instinct was to find the action messy and disgusting, but as it turned out it was actually pretty sexy. Hesitantly he took Poe’s hand in his own and licked his fingers clean. It didn’t taste great, but the look on Poe’s face was worth it. His jaw had gone slack and his eyes wide, watching Finn’s every movement.

“Oh,” Finn said in mock surprise. “Don’t mind me, just cleaning up a little.”

“I -- you just --” Poe managed before stopping to try again. “You’re amazing.”

Finn grinned, then squeezed Poe’s hand before letting go. “I know,” he said, hauling himself out of bed to quickly retrieve a damp cloth from the ‘fresher. He returned and sat next to Poe, gently cleaning the rest of the mess on his stomach and the slick between his thighs. Poe moaned contentedly, closing his eyes and enjoying the ministrations.

“So,” Finn said quietly as he tossed the cloth on the floor and got back into the bed, rearranging Poe so he could pull him in close, Poe’s back to his chest.. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Poe replied sleepily. “I mean...obviously sex doesn’t fix everything or make the nightmares stop, but it helped. To have you here, with me. In the moment. Thank you.”

Finn kissed the back of Poe’s neck. “I should be thanking you, but glad I could help out. Anytime,” he said sincerely. “I mean it. Next time, just wake me up. I’m here for you.”

“I know, buddy,” Poe mumbled against the pillow. “Thanks.”

A few moments later, he was asleep. Finn settled in against him, feeling himself drift off as well. They should talk more about the nightmares and how to deal with them, but that could wait til morning.

In the other room, BB-8 hummed contentedly to himself, feeling very wise for changing Finn’s designation far before this. Partner-Poe was happy, Poe-Partner-Finn was happy, so he was happy too.

**Author's Note:**

> I know the last line is so cheesy but I couldn't help myself so it happened.


End file.
